Rail-spike.



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1 ,25 1 ,488 Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

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RAIL-SPIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, 1918.

Application filed June 26, 1914. serial m1 847,490.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK F. EGK- ERT, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Ragersville, in the county of Tuscarawas and Stateof Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Spikes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railroad spikes, and more particularly to thatclass which are adapted to be so positioned in the tie that the samecannot be readily withdrawn therefrom. I

The object of this invention is the production of a railroad spike, thatwhen the same is positioned in a tie, the shank will crowd the head uponthe flange of the rail.

Another object of this invention is to provide a spike having the lowerportion of the shank thereof bent at an angle to the upper portion ofthe shank so as to efficiently retain the spike in a tie.

A still further object of this invention resides in the provision ofteeth on the rear side of the spike at the juncture of the angularlybent lower portion of the shank and the upper portion of the same.

A still further object of this invention is the production of a deviceof the kind above described that is simple in construction, eflicient inoperation and can be manufactured at the minimum cost.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists of certainnovel constructions, combinations and arrangement of parts as will behereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a fragmentary section of a railand tie showing the improved spike mounted in said tie and in engagementwith the flange of the rail.

Fig. 2 is an elevation looking at the rear side of the spike.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a rectilinear shankor body portion of the spike having a head 11 that projects beyond thefront side of said shank formin a rail flange engaging lip 12. Atapproximately one half the length of the shank the same is bent at anangle to the main portion thereof, thus forming a substantiallyelbow-shaped spike, the angularly disposed lower portion 13 of the shankterminating in a pointed end 14. Formed at the lower end of therectilinear portion 10 of the shank on the rear face thereof, at whatmay be termed the point of the elbow are a plurality of teeth in theform of a projection 15, the upper face thereof being inclined at 16, soas to provide an efficient means for holding the spike in the tie. Atthe lower end of the projection 15 is formed a shoulder 17 that alsoprovides another tooth for engaging the tie to retain the spike therein.The projection 15 having the inclined face 16 and the shoulder 17 formtogether barbs that are positioned at the juncture of the verticallyextending portion of the shank and the substantially angularly extendingportion, thereby being in the position so as to readily come in contactwith the tie adjacent the opening formed by the spike and efficientlyretain the spike therein.

When it is wished to position the spike as shown in Fig. 1, the lowerangularly extending portion 13 of the shank is positioned in a verticalplane, as indicated in the dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the same isdriven in the tie as the curved face of the spike comes into engagementwith the tie and the vertically extending portion of the shank forcesits way into the tie. same will, when driven entirely in the tie, assumethe position as shown in Fig. 1 with the overhanging lip 13 inengagement with the rail flange. By means of having the lower portion ofthe device of the spike bent at an angle to the main portion thereof,pressure isalso exerted at the upper end of the main portion of thespike to crowd the head of the same upon the rail flange, thus insuringthe engagement thereof with the rail flange. It is, of course, seen thatwhen the device is positioned as above described and shown in Fig. 1,that it is well nigh impossible for the same to work loose and becomedisengaged from the tie and thus leaving the rail loose upon the tie.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form andconstruction of this invention without departing from the material partsthereof. It is therefore not wished to confine the invention to theexact form herein shown and described, but it is wished to include allsuch as properly come within the scope claimed.

What I claim is- A substantially elbow-shaped railroad spike comprisinga shank rectilinear for a The V portion of its length, with a head atits free end projecting laterally on one side thereof the other portionof said shank being bent at an obtuse angle forming an elbow with thepoint of the shank extending laterally on the side opposite to that onwhich the head projects to insure the jam ining of said head on the railflange when applied, and a plurality of teeth disposed on the inside ofsaid elbow at the bend thereof, said teeth being inclined toward thehead of the spike to facilitate the insertion of the spike and topreventits with drawal, said spike being sutficiently thick at its bendor elbow to prevent its bending when driven into a tie.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK F. ECKERT. Witnesses J. F. STEPHENSON, JESSIE B. Axx.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner 0! Patents, Washington, D. O.

